This bird has an unusual appearance and a talent for imitating voices. Looking at the photo of the sacred myna, you can see yellow leather spots on her cheeks, an expressive curved beak and iridescent plumage.
People's interest in this bird has always been increased also because the lane can be tamed and kept at home.
Species and name options
Sacred myna - a bird from the order of passerines, belonging to the genus of starlings. There are 7 subspecies of mines.
The bird lives in Southeast and South Asia, but is also found in Florida (USA). It is not known for certain whether the sacred myna got there by accident on some plane or ship, or was deliberately brought by a person.
Maina is also called Indian starling or locust starling. Latin name - Gracula religiosa.
Sacred lane in natural environment
This bird can live in tropical rainforests, as well as in open glades and forest edges at altitudes up to 2000meters above sea level.
In the US, the sacred lane lives far from big cities. She prefers shady areas with sufficient humidity. Often settles near water bodies.
The bird has been artificially introduced to some countries to control insects. Mynes have taken root in Australia, New Zealand, on many islands of the Indian and South Pacific Oceans. But, as is often the case, invaders disrupt the ecological balance of ecosystems, depleting native species. For example, in Havana, the maina is considered a robber bird because it ruins and destroys the nests of petrels.
Reproduction
Sacred lanes are great family men. These birds are monogamous, moreover, they are monogamous. Pairs are formed once and for all.
Nest arrangement is done by both parents. The male and female choose an empty hollow and line the bottom with small twigs and soft foliage. If there is more than one suitable hollow in one tree, several families can live in them.
Nesting period lasts from April to mid-summer.
The clutch usually contains 2-3 azure eggs. The female is engaged in incubation, and her husband obtains food for himself and for her. It happens that the future father briefly replaces his girlfriend so that she can rest and stretch.
Chicks appear in about 2 weeks. They are absolutely helpless: blind, naked, weak.
The couple is engaged in education together. Parents bring small insects to chicks, piecesfruits. Only a month later, the young lanes take to the wings for the first time.
Home maintenance
It is believed that if a person feeds and raises a myna chick from the age of ten, the bird will fully adapt to life in a human dwelling and become attached to the owner. You can also tame an older individual, but it will take more time, and the memory of free bread will never be erased. An adult can also be domesticated, but it is unlikely that one will ever be able to hear the sacred myna speak.
Surprisingly, in the wild, these birds practically do not parody the sounds they hear. Their "speech" is rather sparing.
But the lanes who grew up with a man are just amazingly talkative. Birds of this species give odds to many parrots, learn to speak on their own, have an excellent memory: they can reproduce sounds that they heard many months ago.
For this reason, breeders try to keep their pets in a calm environment, away from loud noises and unpleasant sounds. If a lane hears a motorcycle start, a broken toilet bowl rustles, or water drips from a tap, she will simply drive the owner crazy with her imitation talent. Owners of cats and dogs should seriously think about such a pet: most likely, barking, whining, purring and meowing will not subside. Families with young children should take this into account especially seriously. Perhaps a talkative bird will interfere with the baby.
Otherwise, lanes are no more of a hassle than goldfinches, canaries, and budgerigars. Providepet good food, buy a spacious clean cage, install a large flat drinker. They eat lanes and vegetables, and live food. In the summer, they can be fed with their own caught meadow insects, slugs and worms, and in winter they can acquire zofobas larvae, flour worms, and medium-sized fodder insects. Steamed grain, cottage cheese, boiled yolk are also added to the diet. During the harvest season, you can pamper your pet with berries, fruits, watermelon and young greens.
Security measures
In India and other poor Asian countries, there was once a real boom in catching mynes. Little chicks were sold to tourists. To do this, local residents hung containers similar to nests in forests and gardens, and after a few weeks they returned to harvest.
The population has declined rapidly. The authorities have introduced a set of strict measures governing the capture of sacred lanes. Currently, no one hunts for wild individuals, since the export of chicks is still prohibited, and there are plenty of breeders who successfully obtain offspring from domesticated birds in many countries of the world, including Russia.
A bird, by the way, is not cheap: one individual will cost at least 15,000 rubles.
Interesting facts
Mynes easily get along with other birds and any non-aggressive animals. The exceptions are large breeds of cats and snakes, which can perceive a beautiful bird as game.
Raffles is considered the most famous lane. Its owner, Carvet Wales,traveled with a pet to US hospitals during World War II. Talkative Raffles entertained wounded soldiers. The bird has also appeared in several films.
In its natural habitat, the myna plays a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance. Without it, some species of insects and plants may disappear.
